The Hard Way
by Serinidia
Summary: Point Blank Spoilers! What if Fowler had an accomplice with him when Neal came through the window?  Neal WHUMPAGE, Peter WORRIED/ANGRY


_**Author's Note: Hi guys! This is just a quick little fic that I whipped up in about ten minutes so I hope you enjoy. Before the fiction starts I need to warn you that I have not seen the first season of White Collar (only teeny tiny clips and descriptions)**__** so I don't really know how Fowler reacts to violence. All I can say is that he acted pretty calm when Neal was pointing a gun in his face during Point Blank…. So please don't bash me about him being out of character =)**_

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Neal Caffrey wandered through the bustling court yard without really seeing the people around him as human beings. At the moment he saw them all as potential victims but none of them were the one that he wanted. It was like a hunter searching for the perfectly formed rack of a mature deer in a crowd of stags.

The sharp blue eyes that were usually dancing with amusement or mischief held a somber appearance. The ex-con artist looked up, searching the windows around him when he saw his target. The perfect stag in the midst of the rest of the deer. Without thinking twice Neal dashed through the courtyard and slipped up the curved stairs taking them two at a time. He knew which window it was that he had seen his enemy in, he had made it a point to study the building's layout earlier.

Slipping down the hallway as quietly as a stalking panther, Neal slid to a stop at the corner when he heard Peter's voice. "Is anyone coming?" The older man sounded both worried and pissed. Neal rolled his eyes knowing that he would have to take an alternative route. Moving back down the hallway Neal slipped into a room that was almost opposite from the one he had seen his quarry in. There was a balcony and Neal went out onto it, already calculating the angle and the velocity needed to get across from where he was currently located to the window across from him. He reached out and tugged on one of the large curtains that were suspended above him and nodded in satisfaction when it proved to be sturdy.

"Neal! CAFFREY!" Neal looked down at the sound of Diana's voice and a flicker of annoyance shot through him. Could Diana not see that no matter what she did, she wouldn't be able to stop him? The same went for everyone else; they couldn't seem to understand the overwhelming need to exact his revenge on his lover's killer and the drive for answers.

Answers that would tell him why Kate Moreau had to die.

Turning, Neal moved the gun that was in his pocket to the waist band of his pants so that he wouldn't land on the weapon when he went through the window. Going back into the hall, Neal saw the knife display and headed towards it. Sliding his hand around the protective glass Neal grabbed a knife quickly and started to walk back the way he had come.

"Neal." The younger man paused when he heard Diana's voice and saw her standing in the middle portion of the stairs. "You've got nowhere to go."

Neal Caffrey, the famous con artist and master of escaping almost any situation, smirked when the agent told him that he didn't have anywhere to go. _Oh really? Just watch and learn Diana. Just because you're FBI doesn't mean that your methods or logic is always right or more effective_, Neal thought as he strode off and turned back into the room he had come from.

Clambering up onto the bench, Neal cut the rope binding the curtain in place and set the knife down carefully with a dull clatter.

The ex-con stepped up onto the railing and glanced at the window with a look of a smoldering anger, defiance and resolve. He _would_ do this.

Neal inhaled deeply and pushed off like a swimmer diving from the block, he used the same amount of leg power. Adjusting his body, Neal made it so that the drapery curved a little bit and then rotated his body so that he would enter through the window sideways. He tensed and mentally prepared himself before smashing through the window.

* * *

Garret Fowler looked up in surprise as a man came smashing through the window, and felt the man beside him tense, drawing out his weapon automatically. It didn't take long for Fowler to recognize the younger man as one Neal Caffrey. His lip curled as he thought about the year he had been forced to waste on the felon and some damn music box.

He could tell that his accomplice recognized Neal as well and before Fowler could say anything the bigger man pulled the trigger. The vase behind Fowler's head exploded into delicate pieces and Garret's eyes widened. Paten, Garret's accomplice, had a smug smile on his face as he blew on the barrel of his smoking gun. Paten had fired a second earlier than the ex-con and it had paid off. His bullet had stuck the younger man in the lower left shoulder causing his arm to jerk slightly when he pulled the trigger.

There was an agonized; "NEAL!" from out in the hallway and Paten realized the report of the guns must have sounded like a single gun shot. He looked back at Fowler and was surprised at the older man's furious expression. What? I just saved your life!"

Fowler growled something about not wanting to be taken in on being the accomplice in the murder of an FBI consultant and Paten paled as he looked back at the still form slumped over near the wall. Garret had never told him about Neal's deal with the FBI.

The sounds of something hallow banging against the door echoed through the stillness and then with a final bang the door flew open. A pissed and frantic pair of FBI agents ran into the room. The male was looking around desperately when he noticed Paten's presence and the still-smoking gun in his hands.

* * *

Peter Burke heard the glass shatter and cussed mentally as he grabbed the fire extinguisher from its holder. The report of a gun shot echoed from inside the room and Peter knew without a doubt that Neal had more than likely just shot at Fowler. Diana rushed up behind him and stated the obvious, "Neal's in there."

"He's with Fowler." Peter growled as he hammered at the door with the fire hydrant. He finally broke the lock and kicked in the door with his gun drawn. The first thing his eyes were attracted to was the smoking gun. Peter's eyes traveled up the gun and the figure holding it. The man holding the gun wasn't Neal.

Eyes widening in horror, Peter scanned the room for his partner. He found the consultant in the midst of the ruins of the window. Peter motioned to Diana and she moved with him as he edged closer to Neal. Trusting her to watch his back, Peter turned his attention onto his friend.

Neal's face was ashen and the kid was trembling but for some reason it didn't seem to be his shoulder that was causing the most amount of pain. Peter looked into the cloudy blue eyes and felt the rage he had held towards the younger man vaporize. The federal agent pressed down on the bullet wound eliciting a pained whimper from his partner and Peter scanned the rest of his friend's body. Neal had his back arched in a strange manner and Peter glanced at him in concern.

"Neal?"

There was an answering grunt from the figure in front of him.

"You ok?"

Peter could have sworn that Neal rolled his eyes before there was a weak reply. "N-no."

At first the agent had thought that he'd heard something other than what the artist was saying but one look at the trembling form in front of him told him that he hadn't.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Neal didn't respond, his eyes had closed while Peter was musing over if he had been hearing things or not.

"Neal!" Peter tapped the younger man on the jaw in an effort to rouse him. An answering groan greeted him as the blue eyes fluttered open. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"S-sss..pl..int…er." Neal's voice was extremely weak and slurred.

"Where?"

"M'ack."

_My back_, Peter translated to himself as he gently leaned Neal forward. _He called __**that**__ a splinter_? The agent scoffed in a horrified disbelief as he gazed down at a long piece of window framing that was slick with blood.

"Have you learned your lesson today Neal?" Peter asked gently, looking the consultant in the eye.

Neal nodded weakly but there was a flicker of defiance that flashed through his eyes.

Peter reached forward and mussed the younger man's hair with a sigh and then pulled back when he felt someone touch his shoulder. A paramedic was looking down at him with kind eyes and smile. Peter nodded in agreement with the unspoken message and backed off to stand next to Diana, watching as they worked on his partner.

Fowler and his accomplice had already been taken into custody and Peter felt that everything was going to be just fine.

_Trust Neal to always learn things the hard way_, Peter mused as he followed the paramedics down to the ambulance, a small smirk written on his face.

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_**Author's Note: Like it? Hate it? Hope they didn't seem to ooc... this was a one shot but I would still like your input. I'll help me decide whether or not to do more of these. Also, this is my gift to you since I don't have any chapters for the main stories (STBLU, THD, BG, and UP) Sooo... please review!**_


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